Marriage Pains
by The Jade Lady
Summary: Poor Misao had to suffer growing pains and now it’s marriage pains. Marriage is a rollercoaster ride, especially for Misao and Aoshi. Will their bond survive through…duh duh duuuuh…pregnancy?
1. Prologue: Wedding

So it's 3 o'clock in the morning and I get up to write this story you get the best ideas at night XD and this is the product...please read and tell me what you think...

Summary: Poor Misao had to suffer growing pains and now it's marriage pains. Marriage is a rollercoaster ride, and it definitely is, especially for Misao and Aoshi. Will their bond survive through...duh duh duuuuh...pregnancy?

ahhh, see this is why you don't get up in the middle of the night to write something...I forgot that statement thing...I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters, cross my heart, hope to die, stick a kodachi in my eye...

Marriage Pains

When I was a kid, I loved my Okashira. I still love him to death, but jeez, now I "love responsibly."

Childhood is a wonderful thing; you can do whatever you want without worrying about serious consequences. Then there's "teenage-hood," when the consequences for your actions affect the rest of your adulthood. Sometimes I wonder how our relationship worked out in the end, but then again that's why there's Kami-sama.

Of course, our relationship had never gotten a smooth start.

Until I was about seventeen I had this wild infatuation for Aoshi. Being the icicle, however, he never made a comment about it. After my trip to Kenshin and Kaoru's place, and after I had spent a good year away from him—this time by my own decision—I stopped dreaming.

On our way back to the Aoiya, I told Aoshi that I loved him. He didn't answer.

A year later, the Oniwabanshu ran into some trouble with bandits. Nothing we couldn't handle, but me being the rash teenager, I got myself stabbed.

I got out of comma two weeks later, and opened my eyes to see Aoshi sitting beside my on the bed meditating. His face looked haunted.

His skin was pale without spirit, or I should say, looked like a spirit. There were wet streaks on the sides of his face and his cheeks. I thought it was sweat.

I was wrong.

His back shook with controlled sobs. It was scary—he made no sound. My poor Okashira was crying.

"You're crying," I whispered, kicking myself for speaking out loud. It was devilish, but I was curious to see how much he really cared. Aoshi's body went dead still.

Our eyes locked, and I felt awful for my curiosity. They weren't ice chips; they weren't smoldering blue; they were dead as if all the feelings were leeched out of them. Dark circles edged his eyes.

And I thought, 'Damn, maybe he's a ghost. Maybe I am dead.'

It felt like we had been staring at each other for hours, until he suddenly crushed me with a hug. Yep, I had to be dead. At least I was in heaven.

Then I felt an excruciating pain—it had to be from Hell—radiate from the wound in my abdomen. Great...one moment I think I'm on Earth, and then it's Heaven, and then (well, wad'ya know) it was Hell.

My thoughts jerked to a halt as he murmured into my ear the three words I had been hoping, no, dying (how ironic) to hear.

"I love you."

My body went numb. Wow, what a way to kill pain. Aoshi the pain-killer. I could get rich of that. Then again, that would mean sharing Aoshi with Other People. Yeah, that'll happen.

I smirked. Memories flooded back to me. Pay back.

I didn't answer.

Well, not verbally at least.

It was maybe a couple seconds later, I swear, and we rushed off to get married. Okina was bouncing off his little, old feet. Wonderful! We didn't have to elope.

Like most married people, I don't remember my wedding, except the fact that I blew up at Saitou (as usual) and Aoshi, for once, lost his cool.

I still laugh till my scar hurts thinking about Saitou's eye, swollen and red. He had glanced at Tokio for help, and she simply snorted.

She went over and patted Aoshi on his back and thanked him, "One less thing to do on my list."

And then there was the exchange of vows, and for once Aoshi didn't have to be prodded to speak.

Traditional Japanese weddings don't include flashy shows of love between couples. So we saved any kisses for later (hint...hint...)

And that was when I conceived our first child, and that's when we became truly husband and wife with happiness, love...and problems...

* * *

So what ya think? Well, I'm not sure whether to continue this, seeing that I still have those two damn months for summer vacation...I swear teachers love to take their students dip them in oil and fry them alive...

I'll pray for a quick death.


	2. Two Okashiras in One Room

Ook, well before I forget, I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters, blah, blah, blah, yada yada yada...  
  
Thanks for the reviews XD....happyfulll....damn, my mug of coffee is empty....must...have...more...coffee...  
  
All right, if this thing doesn't come up as a new chapter, I'm going to—to—to make Aoshi get revenge...naa, he's busy with Misao XP... **************************************** Two Okashiras in One Room  
  
I felt a warm, golden ray of sunlight hit my face, and I opened my eyes to see that it was right about dawn.  
  
'Odd, I never wake up after dawn. Must've been really tired.' ~A/N: you better be Aoshi~  
  
As I flipped over on the futon, I noticed my lack of clothing. I glanced around the room, and spotted parts of my uniform scattered around with...what the hell?  
  
Was that an obi? O.O  
  
I moved my rather stiff leg and hit against something that forced a red, hot blush creep up my face.  
  
'Control, Aoshi, control.' Somehow I found those words oddly familiar...  
  
My head whipped to the other side of the futon, right in time to see two large, sea foam colored eyes crack open.  
  
Misao smiled, and I nearly jumped out of bed. "Aoshi?" she whispered.  
  
'Aoshi???? Where was that annoying Sama part?'  
  
Then Misao grinned knowingly, and began to giggle. Her giggles soon morphed into hearty laughs.  
  
"Temporary...amnesia..." she gasped between laughs.  
  
'Ittai?'  
  
Sitting up, Misao let the blanket crumple down to her waste. My blush threatened to creep back up again. She was playing with me!  
  
She put a warm hand on the side of my cheek and slid it down my neck, my arm, and then to my hand, allowing me to feel the cool metal at the base of one of her fingers. She rubbed the base of one of my fingers, and that was when I realized that I was wearing a ring.  
  
"Oh," I said stupidly.  
  
Misao laughed uncontrollably.  
  
Yep, now I knew what happened. The bandits, my confession, her confession, the wedding, and last night. Well, the last part wasn't all that bad remembering.  
  
Looking down at her, I smirked.  
  
Ten minutes later, we were in the bath house. Obviously, I wasn't the only one tired because the Aoiya was silent.  
  
"Hold on, Aoshi, I'm going to light the fire," Misao muttered.  
  
"Nande?"  
  
"Uh...because you need a fire to heat up the water?" she replied, eyebrows furrowed in question.  
  
I had half a mind to say, 'we can heat it up ourselves,' but instead, I answered, "I like it cold."  
  
"Well, I like it hot," my wife countered. "Besides, as an icicle, and as the icicle's wife, I demand that you be subject to hot water to melt your frozen self."  
  
Misao was my wife...I paled at the thought.  
  
But I wasn't Himura, who was weak enough to constantly shadow his wife like a servile puppy.  
  
"Misao..." I grumbled.  
  
She walked over to me and straightened her back to seem as tall as she possibly could.  
  
"That's not going to help much, koishii, you'll still be ten feet shorter to me."  
  
Damn my audacity.  
  
'Don't you remember, baka! MISAO is your wife!'  
  
"NANIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Oh, damn, damn, damn, damn....  
  
"I like cold water." What?! Where did that come from?! Shinomori Aoshi was supposed to have the tightest control in Japan, but now I was saying the first thing that popped into my mind.  
  
"TOO BAD! I LIKE IT HOT!"  
  
I shook my head. I tell you, my rational mind had fully lost its reign on my body and my stupid, stupid mouth.  
  
"The water is perfect when it is—," I began.  
  
"Hot!"  
  
"Cold."  
  
"Hot!"  
  
"Cold."  
  
"Hot!"  
  
"Cold."  
  
"Hot!"  
  
"Cold."  
  
"Hot!"  
  
"Hot."  
  
"Cold! Oh, shit."  
  
I smirked.  
  
Then she did something so Misaoish it scared me. She looked at me with wide, glazed eyes and pouted her lips, attacking me with the most adorable puppy dog face.  
  
'AAAAH, Kami-sama heeeelllpp!!!!'  
  
"Please?" She squeaked.  
  
I had to fight, I had to. I was not weak! I was one of the strongest fighters in Japan...who without any doubt deserved the first rank as the greatest fighter in Japan, but due to certain circumstances was not awarded what I rightfully deserved...  
  
It was simple. I would not fall prey to my wife!  
  
Easier said than done.  
  
"The water is better," I began again, but I stopped mid-sentence.  
  
Seeing that the puppy-dog offensive had not been successful, she launched an attack so NOT Misaoish it scared me worse.  
  
She untied her yukata and let it fall to the ground.  
  
I gulped.  
  
My skin burned slightly as I tried to enjoy a very hot bath.  
  
**************************************  
  
Another chapter done! YAY, well now I have to clean the house, study, cook lunch...oh what a world....  
  
- Jade 


	3. Morning Sickness?

Reviews!!! XD Well since my reviewers posed some very good questions and comments that I'm dying to reply to here goes...  
  
Toby-Chan1 : Lol, ya actually John's Hopkins University did some research and they found that some men are inflicted with "6 to 12 hours of transient global amnesia after having sex." but of course they also said that its more common in men in their 70's...first off I think that's pretty gross that 70 year old men go around and have...oh nvm  
  
Luli451 : THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TELLING ME. I guess it was on default or something, but I never checked and it wouldn't allow for anonymous reviews  
  
Indigochipmunk : actually I noticed Aoshi's OOC-ness, but oh well, maybe he's softened up...  
  
Ah sorry I'm not replying to everyone who reviews ^^;; , I just didn't want to take up so much space that should be for the actual story, and the ones above were just pressing ^^. But I appreciate all your comments and thank you all!  
  
So thaaaat's what its called, a DISCLAIMER...jeez I knew that -_- ....well disclaimer from chapter 1 or 2 applies for the rest of the story...  
  
XWXWXWXWXWXWXWXWXWXWXWXWXWXWXWXWXWXWXWXWXWX(don't ask I just thought that looked interesting)  
  
"Morning!"...sickness?  
  
Aoshi and I rarely took baths together again. On those rare times, the water was always wonderfully hot.  
  
Sometimes one of us would sit on the side bench and other in the tub, keeping each other company. However, as our vacation ebbed away our hectic lives caught up to us, those times were few.  
  
As the weeks and months went by I noticed the subtle changes in our behaviors. While I matured and learned to control my temper and outbursts, Aoshi slowly emerged from his shell of brooding and self-pity. He actually smiled and chuckled more often (well I guess, started to, because he hadn't before, except when he was a boy).  
  
It seemed that our age gap lost its distance as we leveled into a normal married couple—at least as normal as you can get with Aoshi and myself.  
  
A couple weeks after that fateful wedding night, I started to feel more moody and temperamental. Poor Aoshi, as if I wasn't already bad by nature. But then again he got a break elsewhere, as my energy began to decrease.  
  
In short, it felt like being plagued by PMS every, single day.  
  
The others noticed of course, and while Aoshi and Okina were concerned, Omasu and Okon only smiled knowingly. Then again, Omasu and Okon always look down at you with the air of superiority.  
  
When this prolonged PMS continued for a couple of weeks, Aoshi voiced his worry.  
  
It had been a long day, full of scrubbing, paperwork—that only kami-sama knows the origins—exercises, cooking, and managing the restaurant. Not to mention the onslaught of minor criminal cases Saitou conveniently dropped on our migraine-plagued heads.  
  
Whose damn idea was it to aid the police anyway? One really clueless bastard...-_-...I had an idea who it was...  
  
So here we were, exhausted. (Aoshi kindly got off his lazy ass from that temple and helped me with my Okashira duties...sometimes I can't help but wonder if he's actually sleeping—meditation...suuure... I mean how can you think a black void for days on end? AND NOT BE BORED.... -.- ....I rest my case, I had married Superman)  
  
As soon as our heads hit the cushions we were out, softly snoring away into smurfdom like babies...  
  
Speaking of babies...  
  
I woke up suddenly, feeling queasy. To top it off, I was shivering to death because of the cold sweat that ran down my face and the rest of my body.  
  
Glancing outside through the window, I noticed the horizon touched with light blues and pinks.  
  
I had been dreaming about Aoshi—I guess old habits die hard.  
  
In truth, the dream had been more of a nightmare, but the more I thought about it, the more it felt silly. There was your typical big, green monster that you swore just a second before had been your husband...again...how...ironic...  
  
If I hadn't died because of the big, green monster, I almost died of a heart attack when I felt a hand on my shoulder.  
  
"Don't doooo that!" I whispered harshly to Aoshi.  
  
He lifted an eyebrow.  
  
"Don't lift your eyebrow at me!" PMS-like-disease strikes again...  
  
Involuntarily, both his eyebrows went up. Aoshi no baka...  
  
"Misao, you're ill." That concern flashed in his eyes again.  
  
"Nani? No, I'm not."  
  
"Yes, you are."  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Yes."  
  
Oh, here we go again. Kami-sama, our arguments were so imaginative.  
  
"Listen, I'm not falling for that again," I sighed, narrowing my eyes and shaking my head.  
  
Aoshi smirked. Omasu and Okon had nothing compared to Aoshi.  
  
"Misao..." he mumbled.  
  
"Aoshi," I said, putting my hand up and turning my head to the side, "I am not—,"  
  
My eyes widened, and my stomach contracted as I threw up all over Aoshi.  
  
To weak to hold my head up, I rested it on his shoulder.  
  
"I—I'm sorry," I whispered.  
  
"Don't worry, it's not the first time," he replied nonchalantly, referring to my childhood.  
  
I wanted to vomit all over him again. 


	4. Let Go of My Hand

Again, THANK YOU for all the wonderful reviews, ya, I rather liked the vomit scene myself (a little pay back time for Misao eh?)  
  
Oh, I was also wondering how to do italics, bold, underline, etc when I upload it onto the net.  
  
I do apologize for the short chapters but I find that I can update more easily that way. Well, anyway, off to Aoshi and Misao's smurfdom!  
  
CDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDC DCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCDCD How's that pattern?  
  
Let Go of My Hand  
  
"Congratulations!" Megumi screeched in my face.  
  
Damn woman, I had been enjoying a quiet meditation. Well, actually I had been trying to ascend to the meditative state, but my worries about a certain wife of mine would not allow me to.  
  
Of course, I would sooner grin and bounce off walls than admit that out loud to someone.  
  
"Nande?" I murmured.  
  
Megumi's eye twitched.  
  
I glanced around the room to see everyone snickering.  
  
I had no time to curse them as Misao rammed open the door and slammed me against the wall with a bone-crushing hug.  
  
I shivered when I felt her breath against my neck.  
  
"You're going to be a father, Aoshi."  
  
Shock is an understatement.  
  
Wrapping my arms around her I stared into her eyes.  
  
I saw a bubbling mirth of glistening sea foam.  
  
She would have seen happiness in my eyes, if I hadn't been so damn shocked.  
  
Therefore, it was necessary that I pull out of the shock or at least pretend to, since everyone was waiting for my response, especially Misao.  
  
HA! VICTORY AT LAST! For once my mouth did what it was told and locked lips with hers.  
  
Someone—or rather some ones—giggled.  
  
Mentally, I sighed. Women.  
  
"Aoshi?" Misao whimpered, her voice laced with doubt.  
  
Come now, Misao. Did you really think I would be unhappy?  
  
"Yes, koishii?"  
  
"Are you un—,"  
  
"Don't ask stupid questions, Misao," I cut her off lightly.  
  
She smiled and winced.  
  
"Misao?"  
  
She slid off me and stood straight, massaging her stomach.  
  
"I guess it's not a very good idea to strain my abs."  
  
"What is there to strain?"  
  
Oh, Shinomori...  
  
She narrowed her eyes at me and turned on her heel, but I swiftly grabbed her arm to stop her from stalking away.  
  
In one fluid motion I picked her up bridal style.  
  
"Aoshi!" she squeaked to my amusement.  
  
"I do not want you to strain yourself."  
  
cdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcd  
  
After we said our goodbyes and thank you's to Takani-san or rather Sagara- san, we returned to the Aoiya. We decided to celebrate, so we headed to the market, did a bit of shopping and ate dinner at a proper restaurant (If Okon or Omasu heard that, I would have three woman vying to kill me).  
  
During the duration of Misao's pregnancy, I learned or rather re-learned many things about Misao I had forgotten while galloping off to fulfill an immature infatuation with revenge. It is only at times like these I realize how my infatuation should have been elsewhere.  
  
Unfortunately, although I knew how to care for babies I had no clue how to take care of pregnant woman!  
  
And Kami-sama, it is only during those nine months that a husband understands the weight of the proverb "Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn."  
  
Being the over-protective man I am, I attempted to keep Misao from doing really anything. BIG MISTAKE...  
  
Since the consequences of my actions are rather upsetting to read about, I shall take mercy on you.  
  
Like our wedding, though, the pregnancy whizzed by like a crawling baby to a new toy.  
  
Slowly, week-by-week, we attacked each room, baby-proofing it. Our room transformed with more cushions near corners and an extra futon to place adjacent to ours. Misao and I did not believe in placing the baby in another room. Besides, I am Shinomori Aoshi, the over-protective monk (ya suurrre...), and my child would sleep next to me—end of question.  
  
And then, AND THEN, came the most nerve-racking experience I have ever had in my entire godforsaken life.  
  
cdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdccdcdcdcdcdcddcddcdcdcdcdcd  
  
A heat wave had been plaguing Kyoto for the past two weeks. I was drenched in sweat cleaning and cooking (yes, I do cook. -.-). Although she hated to admit it, Misao simply could not work. Standing up for more than a half an hour led to severe back pain. Knowing fully well that what I would want her to do—as in rest in bed—would not be obeyed, I decided to make her go fishing at the lake instead. I really was not in the mood to fight.  
  
Sitting down to eat the large fish Misao caught (perhaps they took pity on her), we could do nothing but fan ourselves in between bites.  
  
I don't remember what it was about, but Misao and I were arguing yet again. I should slap myself for forgetting, though, since the situation almost brought her to tears.  
  
I believe we were arguing about her working in investigations again or something. Really, I could not picture and would not let Misao run around chasing bandits while holding up her bloated stomach.  
  
It was the first time I had raised my voice at her since our marriage.  
  
"AOSHI! I AM NOT DROPPING MY DUTIES TO BE A HOMEMAKER!"  
  
"..."  
  
"AOSHI, DID YOU HE—,"  
  
"MAYBE, MISAO, YOU SHOULD TRY TO HEAR ME FOR ONCE!"  
  
My clipped and cold tone silenced her. She stared at me with tear-glazed eyes with a mix of anger and—and fear...  
  
I felt sick. Fear—the last thing I wanted to see in my wife's eyes when she looked at me.  
  
She glanced at the floor and then gave me a look that told me she thought I hated her, thought that I thought her to be weak.  
  
No, Misao. Please, Misao. I beg you, Misao. Don't.  
  
I let my control fall, let it plummet to the ground and shatter into an infinite number of indivisible pieces. I felt free.  
  
Most everyone in the Aioya had quietly creeped out, tired of seeing us fight.  
  
But I didn't care.  
  
I strode over to Misao in one giant stride, tilted her chin up and kissed her passionately.  
  
When I looked into her eyes after pulling away (that was good, I was the one pulling away not her), I saw her shake her head in exasperation.  
  
"Misao, you know how I feel about these things," I began to ramble.  
  
"Aoshi..."  
  
"As you are now the Okashira, bearing the heir, and the wife of me, you're—,"  
  
"Aoshi."  
  
"No, wait, Misao, listen to me, it's—," "AOSHI! I DON'T THINK I CAN LISTEN TO YOU NOW!"  
  
"Really, Misao I thought you had grown up—,"  
  
"AOSHI, YOU BASTARD! I'M GOING INTO LABOR!"  
  
My eyes widened in shock and panic. What to do?!  
  
Luckily, most of the household heard Misao's loud declaration and came skidding down the stairs.  
  
Okina ran out of the house to call Sagara-san, who had come to stay in a nearby inn a couple of weeks ago, just in case of something like this happened.  
  
A few hours later I was neverously pacing back and forth in front of the closed room, stopping ever so often when I heard an agonized shriek.  
  
"Shinomori, stop before you ware a hole through that floor you polished today," Sagara Sanoske remarked.  
  
That jackass didn't know what the hell I was going through anyway. (A/N – woah, Aoshi...)  
  
SHRIEK  
  
BANG  
  
I was in Misao's room before anyone could bat an eye and protest.  
  
"Misao!"  
  
I glanced over at the bed to see a bawling/shrieking Misao.  
  
NO!!!  
  
I rushed over to her bedside and almost puked at the whole scene. But I swallowed the nauseating feeling and turned to anxiously hover over her, until of course, Takani-san pushed my away.  
  
"Shinomori-san, you are breeching protocol."  
  
"The hell with protocol..." I muttered vehemently.  
  
Takani-san growled in annoyance, but turned the immediate situation at hand.  
  
"Breathe, Misao, honey, breathe," the doctor cooed.  
  
"AAAAHH, I-I—,"  
  
A sudden iron grip around my wrist jerked me out of my horrified paralysis.  
  
"AOSHI!!"  
  
I whispered to Misao, tried to calm her while trying to ignore the acute pain spreading from my wrist.  
  
Damn, Misao, if only I had your strength when I fight...and only a few hours ago you thought I thought you were weak...  
  
Oh Kami-sama, we were both in tears now. My wrist hurt so badly, worse even then the slash Himura gave me in our fight in that library.  
  
And then,  
  
CRACK  
  
WAAAAHHH  
  
My wrist seared beyond any form of pain I had suffered, but it was not enough to take my attention away from my newborn daughter.  
  
I felt numb. Both mentally...and...physically...  
  
My child, Misao's child, our child, my child, Misao's child, our child...the words pranced through my brain like giddy pixies.  
  
Takani-san whisked the baby away, and I felt an unpleasantly cold gust shake my heart. She was taking my baby away, yes to clean her, but she was taking her awaaaaay.  
  
Aiya, Shinomori, you sound like you gave birth to her, I thought.  
  
"Aoshi?" squeaked my poor wife.  
  
I could have kicked myself; I almost forgot about my wife.  
  
I wiped away the sweat from her face with the wet towel, and kissed her forehead.  
  
Carefully, I wrapped my arms around her petite figure, ignoring the pain coursing through my broken wrist.  
  
As they say, no pain, no game.  
  
cdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcd  
  
"Knock, knock."  
  
I had half a mind to ask "who's there," but I knew it was not the appropriate time for childish jokes.  
  
"Come—," Misao wearily began, but I cut her off, even if I knew what would follow...  
  
"COME BACK LATER!" I barked, and there were no further knocks.  
  
It was amazing to see that Misao could transcend that flush she had gained from labor.  
  
'Watch out Aoshi, Misao's mad.' You know when you tell yourself something like that, it's like a captain telling you to "TAKE COVER!" Unfortunately, the room was devoid of any other tables or beds big enough to serve as a shelter.  
  
Suddenly, instead of blowing up—an action that, by the way, scared me worse because now she was a TICKING time bomb (I would not be able to predict when my chance would come for escape)—she stuck the back of her hand in front of my face, fingers spread wide apart.  
  
I noticed that she had long, slim fingers, pearly-white and beautiful. I wanted to kiss them.  
  
That would be a stupid move, though. Seeing that she was infuriated, with any hint of close proximity, she would gauge my eyes out.  
  
I braced myself for a back-handed slap. Instead, she did the most peculiar of things.  
  
Slowly, Misao put down her little finger, followed by her ring finger (which I smugly noticed graced a wedding ring), and then her thumb.  
  
Only her forefinger and her middle finger remained up.  
  
Oh, no. I knew what was going to happen next.  
  
Yup.  
  
She put her forefinger down leaving, well wad'ya know, her middle finger up.  
  
I lifted an eyebrow, thinking about my response...I had a couple to choose from...  
  
"Really, Misao, where did you learn such things?" "Misao, do you really think that is appropriate in front of our child?" Emphasizing the "our child" part. Maybe that would soften her up.  
  
Instead, before I could fully think about it and make a strategic decision, my stupid mouth that seemed to do whatever it wanted lately (Just like a certain teenager I once knew...), acted on its own stupid will.  
  
"Is that an offer?"  
  
Kami-sama kill me now, please?  
  
Misao looked dumbfounded for a moment before she roared, "HELL NO!"  
  
It wasn't like I had my hopes up anyway. How many times had I asked Kami- sama to kill me? And I was still breathing—well, not really, due to my acute fright, I stopped breathing too. Come on Kami-sama...just a little tip and hole in one.  
  
"You better hold your damn hormones in check," Misao continued loudly. "Because if you think I'm going to go through this again any time soon, you're the biggest bakayaro in the world."  
  
"Any time soon?" I asked hopefully. Relief shook my heart when I saw the angry blush drain from her lovely face.  
  
She sighed and gazed at our baby.  
  
I didn't press for an answer, but queried, "May I hold her?"  
  
Nodding, she carefully handed me my little girl. It's amazing how quickly I can get possessive.  
  
I smiled gently down at my bundle of joy and then looked up to smirk at Misao.  
  
"Brings back memories..."  
  
OOF!  
  
I felt a bruise begin to swell on my cheek.  
  
It hurt badly.  
  
Good girl, Misao.  
  
cdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcdcd  
  
My bruised cheek and my sprained wrist didn't help my overall daze when we returned to the Aoiya.  
  
It wasn't until I placed the sleeping Misao and our baby on our futon that the whole day's fiasco hit me.  
  
And did it me hard, like a shot of strong sake.  
  
No sooner was I grinning like a baka and bouncing off the walls, mentally kissing Kami-sama for keeping me alive. 


	5. Herureiza

Ah, it's been so long since an update, ne? It's just, I've had this massive writer's block for ages, and I hate to force things, because then the writing's not all that great… hopefully this chapter's ok, it may not be though.

V: Herureiza

Whimper.

My eyes shot open. It was still pitch dark.

"Damn these motherly instincts," I mumbled drowsily.

The futon shifted slightly as a warm arm resettled over me, but didn't wrap around me.

_Pooh._

Instead, Aoshi extended his arm to our baby and pulled us both closer to him.

"Mmmm, Misao, don't be cruel…"

Our baby—we really should come up with a name—vying for our attention, opened the gates to an all out deafening, earsplitting, mind-numbing bawl.

There was a distant pounding that progressively grew louder, and the shouji and shutters.

There was howling too.

Aoshi and I shot up, involuntarily reaching for our weapons.

"Kami-sama, our daughter is a Hell Raiser," I whispered in awe.

"Aa…" It was, for once (about time really), a sort of panicked "Aa."

We were standing, me clutching our wailing child and my husband with his katanas raised, when the entire door, flimsy frame and all, came crashing down (I knew that damn thing needed to be replaced).

"What happened!" the entire household chorused together. I would have laughed, if I hadn't felt like fainting in exasperation. Bare fists and various daggers prepared, the whole lot of them looked like an army of beasts with their messy hair and bloodshot eyes.

Hell Raiser, indeed.

The only difference was that these brutes from Hell (or they looked like Hell anyway) were outfitted in an assortment of wrinkled sleepwear. Jiya, heading the front, was clad in only a pair of pink shorts.

_Oh, spare me the sight._

Aoshi growled, "What are you all doing here?"

Weapons clanged to the floor, the Oniwabanshu now looked like a bunch of guilty slumber partiers that were being scolded for going to bed too late.

"Well," came a feeble voice. It was Okon. "We heard some crying--,"

"More like screaming for mercy!" Hiro butted in.

"And so," Jiya proclaimed, "we immediately thought you were in trouble; so we rushed over to help."

"And what about me?" Aoshi looked annoyed. Ah, his ego must have been insulted.

I could almost hear him think. _I can take care of my wife and child, all by myself! _

Misao watches, head in hands, as chibi Aoshi bounces up and down angrily.

The group took a step back.

"It was only a reflex…"

Oh, Kami-sama, I hope not.

There were…other…times screams could be heard from this room. What if they barged in then:shudders:

"Then you must all exercise self-control," Aoshi replied.

I nodded vigorously.

They started to file out. Aoshi and I sighed, and there was once again a peaceful silence. The bundle of joy had stopped crying a long time ago.

We were just about to settle in again when Jiya poked his head into the room.

"So what was that noise anyway?"

Aoshi and I gazed at our daughter.

"Our little Herureiza," I said quietly.

"Herureiza?" Aoshi asked, with a bit of humor in his voice.

"Appropriate, don't you think?"

"Hai."

Jiya whispered goodnight and the shouji slid shut. We held our breathes as I gently squatted and lay Rei on the futon. Our breathes hitched when we saw her roll over, but sighed when she remained silent, her small frame rising and falling with soft breathing.

Behind me, Aoshi hugged me around the middle and pulled me down to curl into him.

"Herureiza…" he muttered, experimenting the name on his tongue.

"Hmmm?"

"Nothing. Go to sleep."

"'Night." I relished the small bundle of warmth at my chest. They say a baby sleeps sounder while she hears her mother's heart beat. Like a lullaby. I guess that's true, except for me, it would always be—and will still be—Aoshi.

"'Night, baby." I wasn't sure which one of us he meant, mother or daughter, but I think he meant both.

_Men. _Forever bundling things up, because they're too lazy to differentiate.

_Let's just do it all at once!_

Aoshi twisted so that he was lying on his back, my head resting on his outstretched arm.

"Herureiza…" he murmured again. "Heru…Reiza…hmmm…He…Ru…no no….Za?...iie…Rei…hmmm…Rei…I like that…"

"Good," I grumbled. "Now shut up and go to sleep."

He turned again to return to our original position.

"I love you both."

"We love you too," I said sleepily, almost automatically.

"I will always protect you." He seemed to really want to make this clear. "And I'll always win."

I snorted. As I said: _Men._

"Wanna know why?"

It was amazing how casual he became when we were alone (um…baby included). His proper language just flew out the window.

"Mmmm."

"Because."

"Because?" I rolled my eyes. How mature.

"If I ever wanted to give up. I would think of you. And I'd keep going."

"Persistence does not ensure victory," I responded sagely.

"Jeez, Miss Optimism…"

"Hey, that's Mrs. Shinomori to you," I smiled. I felt him smirk.

"When you're fighting," he continued. "And you're fighting to protect the ones you love, your power and will rises to a level that can't be spurred by any other reason."

I guess that makes sense. Kind of like Kenshin. Shishio would probably be the ruler of the world if Kenshin hadn't fought knowing what would happen to Kaoru if he lost.

"Aoshi?"

"Hmmm?"

"Have you always fought thinking about me?" I knew it was a stupid question, because I knew the answer. But maybe I was wrong, and I wanted to hear his side.

"No," he said darkly.

I sighed.

"But…" Aoshi mused, "Half the time, when it mattered, like with Shishio, one of the reasons was always you. But you see why I was never much use…the overpowering reason was being number one."

"That's kinda sad, Aoshi," I teased.

"Aa…I was a real dork back then."

I sniggered. Marriage had done some good to Aoshi.

He was more relaxed, and he finally had his damn priorities straight.

I, Makamichi Misao, had successfully melted the ice cube.

"Well, that's kind…" I felt his hand run the length of my thigh. I giggled.

We started fooling around when—

Whimper.

"Damn."

"You could say that again," I groaned.

"Damn."

"Hey, just who do you think you are? Swearing in front of my baby like that!"

"_Your _baby..."

"_You're_ not the one who had her lower half nearly ripped off for her."

"That's not fair."

"Nope."

"Fine."

"Fine what?"

He lifted me and crushed me to his other side. Keeping me imprisoned with two legs, he tenderly took a whimpering Rei into his arms.

"I'll just have to kidnap her then." He rocked her until she feel asleep again, which wasn't that long.

I watched him and sighed, my head leaning on his shoulder. I was so relieved, thanking Kami-sama for the millionth time for blessing me with Aoshi as my husband.

If I couldn't take care of Rei, rest assured, he would be able to.

"_Mine_," he said pouting. I chuckled and kissed him on the cheek.

"Can I hold her?"

"Iiiieee…"

"_I'll just have to kidnap her then_."

"No can do."

I raised my eyebrows.

"'Cause you're _mine_ too."

Well, there you go, fluff, fluff, fluffidy, fluff, fluff. It's short, but I hope you liked it, cause I'm not too happy with it, not enough humor, but then again you need a balance I guess.

I'm still feeling some writer's block…but hopefully I'll get to update soon.

When finals come around though, updates will have to wait till summer. I don't think I'm going to put a plot, since I want this to remain something like the adventures of Aoshi and Misao through parentage. An easy-going story, if ya get what I mean.

Thanks for all the reviews, and sorry again for taking so long.

cya


	6. Kappa and Paperwork

Hey hey, new year present! Hope you like it. Happy new year to you all. oh and this chapter is a little limish, so ya, just to say. and its kinda short, i'm sorry, but i have an idea for the next chapter, so i may update tomorrow! and i think this story will end in a couple of chapters...

Kappa and Paperwork

"Toooousaaan!"

"Yes, my love?"

My beautiful baby girl giggled from atop my neck.

Tap. Tap. With those tiny hands that I felt like…I don't know…eating up…she patted my head, pulling at and ruffling chunks of my hair.

"Kappa." A slim, small finger (Such a finicky eater, she drives us crazy) pointed to an abnormally large frog croaking by the glen. Good heavens. Who knew they could get so big.

"Just a frog…" I muttered, slightly unsure myself.

Just as long it didn't hurt my baby. Stupid amphibian.

The specimen dared to look at me, and I refused to surrender.

"What's that murderous glare for, baby?" my wife strolled toward me, hefting a large paper-filing accordion. The end of year taxes were mostly finished, but some of the police work was still left. Saito, being the bastard he is, placed a deadline that demanded everything on his desk by midnight tonight.

I had just taken a break to take Rei around the small pond near the backyard woods.

Misao pecked me on the cheek.

"Kaaasan!" Rei gurgled.

"Lovely," she responded, reaching up to ruffle her straight blue black hair. Not that she'd get anything else. Seeing that both Misao and I had the same hair. "Having fun with Tousan and that—woah, that's a big frog."

"Monstrous," I agreed.

"Kappa," Rei whispered, popping the 'p's.

"Yeah, well," her mother sighed, "Tousan and I have a whole bunch of work to do, so we'll have say 'sayoonara' to the Kappa."

Rei pouted, disliking the idea of running away from adventure.

That's my girl.

"Just a few more minutes," I put in, much to irritation of my wife. Rei cheered, patting a victory beat on my head.

Misao rolled her eyes. "All right."

"What should we do, Rei?" I titled my head back to look at my daughter.

"Hmm," she tapped her nose. "We should…walk to it like this." She patted my head and muttered, "This is the frog and this," she separated her hands and fingers to represent three people, "is Tousan and Kaasan and me." She hummed as her fingers pranced toward my head from all directions.

I swung Rei down from my neck to the ground. "Waahhoo!"

"Well done, Rei. Corner the frog from three sides." She nodded, head held high in an accomplished manner.

I smiled smugly at her and we did our little handshake routine. I turned to Misao to find her glaring at me through narrowed eyes and thinned lips.

"Teaching her military strategies, are you."

Rei began to nod her head furiously, and I leaned over to heavy place my arm on her head to stop it from bobbing.

"Rei is an intelligent child. Quick and sharp. She has probably picked up a few things by simply observing."

"Observing, my foot," Misao grumbled, wacking my head. She lowered herself to her knees and smoothed Rei's hair away from her face. "Violence is not the answer, sweetheart, okay?"

"Not always," I added lightly, earning myself a hard pinch to my left calf.

Rei nodded.

"Okay. Now, let's go say hi to that frog." Misao smiled. Together, with me rolling my eyes at a wasted strategy my genius daughter had formulated, we inched toward the frog.

We were so close when the stupid creature gathered its wits and hopped away from us, diving into the pool with a large splash.

Misao and I stood there holding on too our daughter's slippery hands, watching in weary amusement as she laughed at the frog, at our muddy and soaking clothing, and at her own fantastical thoughts.

O O O O O O O

The sun was setting by the time we had bathed, eaten, tucked Rei into the futon, and had settled down to wrap up our work.

I stole a glance at Misao and gazed at the shadows and the highlights the golden rays of the sun created on her matured but young face. The pregnancy and running around we had done for the past couple of years had aged her, but in a way that transformed her innocent…sex appeal…to that of a woman's. I could see the pain and hardship that had shrouded her life before marriage had seeped away restoring the satisfied gleam in her sea foam eyes.

As she scribbled a signature on some bank statements, I watched her lithe fingers maneuver the pen over the paper in suave undulations.

_Someone's horny._

My wife leaned over to gather another packet, the movement unsettling her kimono slightly, so that the sun could deepen the hollow of her neck and chest.

A small wisp of soft midnight hair slipped out her plate to tickle her small nose. She lifted her hand in habit and tucked the offensive strand behind her ear, and the kimono slipped further accordingly.

Grumbling something to herself, she made to push the kimono up, but a hand stopped her.

It took me a second to register the hand was mine.

Misao looked up into my eyes, her eyebrows arching at the heated gaze.

"Aoshi?" I raised a finger to her lips.

"Let's take a break."

She snorted. "Honey, we just had a break. Remember, we shared it with King Kong's amphibian brother."

I smirked, letting my finger trail along her jaw, down her neck and collarbone.

"As much as that sends orgasmic tingles down my spine," she teased, "we have exactly four and a half hours to finish this paperwork." She tweaked my nose and return to the packet.

I leaned over, laying butterfly kissing on her cheek and along her neck.

"Get to w-work, Aoshi," she struggled to steady her voice.

"Absolutely." My other hand combed through her hair, unraveling the braid, and I bore down on her to lay on half on her on the wooden floor.

I felt a wicked sense of accomplishment, when she returned my passionate kiss, her finger running through my hair.

"N-not right now…" she gasped, but immediately relocked our lips.

"How about a quickie?" I parted the kimono, rediscovering her body.

_How looong has it been? _

"R-really quick," she surrendered.

"I want another baby," I said quietly, pulling her undergarments down,

She hugged me, as we skipped the foreplay.

"Me too."


End file.
